So far we’ve looked at the process of rolling a composite bat and the equipment used to do it. Now let’s take a little look at the beginning of both, and how it has evolved.
compound bats
Composite bats were originally introduced to the playing public in the early 1980s, in the slow pitch softball segment of the sport. At that time, the aluminum bat was the best seller and outperformed the wooden ones that had been used until then. It turned out that the aluminum bat also outperformed the new composite bat, so the composite bat didn’t gain much favor among players in the game. But in 2001, with advances in technology and materials, the Louisville Slugger won “Best Performance” for their newly designed composite bats. And that’s when the bat war began, because in 2002 Miken also introduced their newly designed composite bats. From then until now, the technology has grown by leaps and bounds, and every bat manufacturer is producing composite bats. Not only are they using woven glass fibers as a composite material, but they are also using carbon, graphite, and Kevlar to make the new high-performance bats. These technological advances have also prompted rule changes to ensure player safety is maintained.
Advantage
There are five main advantages to the composite bat over its rivals. They are, oscillating weight, bending stiffness, bending vibration, trampoline effect, and lastly, sound. Swing weight is reduced because it is much easier to move the center of mass of the bat closer to the shaft in the composite bat production process. This is also true for the stiffness of the bat and the vibration of the handle, due to the different types of materials they can use. By altering these materials, they can alter stiffness and vibration. The trampoline effect can be increased due to the physics of the elastic collision, also determined by the application and procedures and the application of different materials. And finally the sound. The composite bat gives a much more solid sound than its aluminum brother.
the irruption
When the composite bat hit the market, after a period of time, it was discovered that with more use, the bats actually improved in performance. They hit harder and less vibration was transferred to the handle. Now, bat manufacturers suggest a rest period of 500 to 600 strokes before the bat reaches its designed BESR, or Ball Exit Velocity Ratio. In 2002 this idea was totally new. So if today’s rules set a maximum BESR of 98 mph, a new bat fresh out of the wrapper can only have a BESR of 92 or 93 mph to allow for the break-in process and the bat reaches its peak performance. Batting has become popular because it speeds up this process and eliminates much of the wear and tear of hitting 600 balls on one bat.
How the rolling started
In California, a guy, probably a machinist, used a metal training motto called the English Wheel to help his bat perform better. An English Wheel is a large piece of equipment that has two large convex steel wheels, approximately 8 inches in diameter, placed one on top of the other. Used to form metal, these wheels can be brought together using a foot pedal to determine how much pressure is applied to the metal during the rolling or forming process. So this guy placed his bat between the rollers, moved it in and out, rotated it, and continued the process around the barrel of his bat. Thus, the rolling cam of perpendicular bats becomes a reality. After this, a much smaller motto was made, using nylon rollers. and a clamping lemma to apply the pressure necessary to loosen the fibers of the bat.
How about rolling parallel?
In 2006 or 2007, a guy from Michigan introduced the first parallel-blade rolling machine, which was more advanced than the perpendicular rollers. It had two 7-inch poly rollers. draw parallels to each other, in a very precise clamping coin. It had four independent clamping settings instead of a single central adjuster to control clamping pressure. The bat was placed between the rollers using a registration coin, to make sure it was straight, and by turning the rollers and using the 4 fine adjustment adjusters, the bat cylinder was fully rolled in just a few sequences. However, his motto could also be used to roll the bat perpendicularly, thus having the best of both worlds. And so the parallel rolling machine was introduced.
Other methods
Before and even after bat rolling machines became popular, other very creative methods were used to accomplish the rolling process. However, they were not as effective. A common bench target has been used to compress and tighten the barrel of the bat. It was effective but caused the bat material to break and fail due to lack of consistency. An inventor devised a similar method using a hydraulic car jack placed in a holding fixture with similar results. Some have used a heavy mallet to hit the barrel of the bat, and someone also thought of putting a baseball on the end of a hammer handle to hit the bat. In my days as a slowpitch softball player, I’ve seen guys hit a telephone pole and a large steel pole covered in a towel, with their bats to try to break them, or maybe get them out.
The evolution
So we had the dedicated perpendicular and the new perpendicular or parallel lamination machines. The guys with the perpendicular coins saw that they were at a disadvantage and fell behind, so they redesigned their machines so they could also use both methods. Some added a second roller at the top or bottom to make it easier to get the bat parallel to the rollers. They also added a very simple handle to the center compression adjuster and also to the pivot roller. So that brings us to where we are today.
I am sure that new currencies will be invented to speed up the process of breaking the composite bat. With the changing rules and new bat construction and technology, new methods may need to be devised. I already have two new ideas on the drawing board if needed. I expect one to be about half the price of existing laminating machines, and the other may have to be half as expensive. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens with the rules and the market.